Recording device mechanism for meters



y 1934- c. 1.. MCMULLEN 1,967,677

RECORDING DEVICE MECHANISM FOR METERS Filed March 19, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l In Mentor y 24, 1934- c. MCMULLEN 1,967,677

RECORDING DEVICE MECHANISM FOR METERS Filed March 19, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,lllllll lfillllllll //IIIIIIIIII Patented July 24, 1934 PATENT OFFICE RECORDING DEVICE MECHANISM FOR METERS Carlton Lauriae McMullen, Toronto, Ontario,

Canada. assignor Limited to Patent Enterprises Application March 19, 1932, Serial No. 599,892

1 Claim.

In a copending application filed by me on the fifteenth day of January 1932, Serial Number 586,734 for Recording devices for meters, I disclosed an attachment for a fuel-oil truck for the purpose of recording a saleslip giving the quantity of oil dispensed together with the reading of the meter prior to dispensing and other useful information including the number of the saleslip.

The sales number is imprinted upon the slip by a set of register wheels operated by the depression of a head. The actuation of these register wheels by movement of the head, while satisfactory from a mechanical standpoint, is found to possess the drawback that it does not render the recording instrument foolproof and would not prevent the truck driver from cheating his employers customer by short delivery and selling for his own profit the quantity he has cheated him out of. For example: The driver can first draw ofl say twenty gallons and sell it privately taking an initial imprint of the transaction. He can then supply his employers customer, who has ordered a hundred gallons, with only eighty gallons and by making a final imprint upon the saleslip show him as having delivered the amount ordered. In such a manner it is possible to defraud both the customer and the employer.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a novel mechanism that will automatically record a new sales number each time oil is dispensed irrespective of the quantity. This overcomes the objections just above mentioned in that no deliveries can be made without registering a sales number. Furthermore its operation is entirely independent of the head, which operation is achieved by a driving connection with the meter spindle that is made and broken with each delivery of oil.

This driving connection embodies mechanis for making and breaking the drive each time oil is delivered. This is accomplished by the novel construction and arrangement of an inertia control.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention and its associated parts.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross section of a weight taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section on line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a section taken on the line 66 of Figure 1.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the figures throughout the drawings.

In the drawings the casing of the meter recording device is generally denoted by the numeral 7, and within the casing is a set of register wheels 8 for imprinting upon a saleslip the gallonage dispensed and visually displaying the quantity through a sight-mot shown since it does not form a part of the present invention.

These register wheels are mounted upon a dead shaft 9 and geared by a worm drive 10 and gearing 11 to the spindle 12 of the meter proper. Said register wheels are thus driven from the spindle to record the flow in gallons of oil.

Also mounted upon the shaft 9 is a set of register wheels 12' for recording the sales number of each slip, which number is imprinted upon the slip by its being forced into contact with the wheels. These register wheels are loosely disposed upon the shaft and the unit wheel 13 thereof is provided with a set of pins 14 corresponding to the numerals thereon, there being one pin to each character. The unit wheel is held against inadvertent movement by means of a detent 15 consisting of a spring steel bar having its lower end secured to the bottom 16 of the casing and its top end curved to engage two adjoining pins-see Figure 5.

17 is a pawl fixed to the shaft 18 journalled in the bearings 19. The pawl has its free end disposed to intercept the path of the pins so that each time it revolves it will engage a pin and turn the unit wheel to the next number.

The shaft 18 is geared at 20 to a shaft 21 journalled in the bearings 22 and supplied with a bevel gear 23 that meshes with a similar gear 24. The gear 24 has an integral gear 25 in constant mesh with the gearing 11 of the spindle 12. According to this construction the shaft 21 is driven by power taken off the meter spindle. The shaft 18 is driven by its connection with said shaft 21.

The bevel gear 23 is segmental, that is, part of its teeth are cut away as at 26 so that in one position of the gear it is disengaged from its companion. The purpose of the segmental gear will be hereinafter clearly explained.

27 is a weight whose centre of gravity is eccentric to the axis of' rotation of the shaft 21 to which it is secured in known manner. This weight is so positioned that it assumes an unstable position when the segmental gear 23 is disengaged.

Reverting to the shaft 18 this is equipped with a finger 28' rigidly projecting from a hub 20 fixed to the shaft. Projecting into-the path of the finger is a pin carried by an inertia device. This inertia device consists of a boss 82 loosely mounted on the shaft 9 so as to have limited angular movement thereon. A rod 33 laterally projects from the boss and carries a weight 84. Upon the other side of the boss is a spring 85 fastened thereto at one end and at the opposite end secured to the casing bottom 16. This spring is tensioned to counteract the downward pull of the weight 34 so as to holdit lightly suspended. some term of stops or limiting means may be employed to positively confine the angular move ment of the weight 34 to within certain limits. This may be achieved by a projection 35' within a slot 86 in the boss 32--see Figure 6.

The inertia control operates as follows: As the spindle turns in making a delivery of oil the gear 25 is rotated coincidentally with the operation of the register wheels for recording the gallonage dispensed. The bevel gear 24 drives the segmental gear 23 which through'its connections rotates the shaft 18. As this shaft turns in making a revolution it carries the pawl 17 around with it, which pawl engages a pin of the register wheel and turns it to the next sales number. As it does so the segmental gear disengages itself from its companion and thus severe the driving connection. coincidentally the finger 28 contacts with the pin 30 and the weight 2'7 assumes an unstable position urging the shaft 18 to turn forwardly. This however it cannot do since it is heldby the finger 28.

As the truck is driven away from the place of delivery its movement causes the weighted rod 33 of the inertia device to oscillate, which movement swings the pin away from the finger 28.

This angular movement need only be slight in order to carry the pin 30 clear of the finger 28. The weight then downwardly carries the disengaged-finger away from the path of movement of the pin and advances it until the segmental gear 23 contacts with the gear 24. The weight at this stage is still in an unstable condition and it continues to exert pressure tending to turn the shaft 21.. which pressure retains the gear 23 in contact with its companion. It will be understood that return oscillation of the inertia member does not affect the finger 28 by reason of the fact that it is now held outside the path of movement of the pin 30. It is immaterial as to whether the teeth of the gear 28 actually mesh at this time with the gear on the spindle because initial movement of the spindle obviously causes the gears to mesh once the spindle is set in motion. The mechanism is now set to turn the sales number wheel. The initial flow of oil of the next delivery causes the segmental gear to be turned so as to advance the sales number wheel 13. The segmental gear disengages itself upon making an approximate revolution and the finger comes to rest against the pin as already related and remains in this position until released by the inertia device ready for recurrent operation as above recounted.

It will be manifest that various changes .and modifications of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

The combination with a register wheel and spindle of a meter, of mechanism for taking oi! power from the spindle to rotate the register wheel, said mechanism comprising a, pair of meshed gears the driven one of which is segmental so as to disengage itself in one position of its movement, and inertia means, a bodily movable support therefor, said means causing the segmental gear to engage the driving gear upon movement of said support.

' CARLTON LAURIAE McMULLEN. 

